
A Day Without BS
As I woke up this morning to get ready for work, I turned on the news. My wife and I usually start our day that way. I noticed as the TV screen was coming to life

How Do You Communicate Your USP?
Marketing today can certainly be a challenge. Prospects are being bombarded with offers. E-mails, direct mail, billboards, text marketing, social media…the list i

The Right Marketing Mix for Your Business
It’s rare that one single marketing tactic will be all your business needs to drive significant business and revenue. Almost always it will take the right marketi

The Formula for Success = B+C+S
Why do some organizations seem to last for decades, even in the worst economies, while others fade into the abyss in a few years or even months? Do they have a sp

Vision — A Critical Driver of Your Brand, Culture, and Strategy
Nearly fifteen years ago when I first began facilitating strategic planning sessions, a board member for one of my early clients vehemently challenged the need fo

Three Keys to Great Brands: Consistency, Consistency, and Consistency
Traveling around the country, I like to keep some of my same routines. One of them is my morning coffee. It’s a comfort to know my venti coffee at Starbucks will

The Benefit of the Doubt
Those that have read my articles or heard my presentations know that I am passionate proponent of service standards as a key component to building brands. One of

When a Small Action Becomes a Big Plus
Many times it’s the small things a business does that go a long way in building customer and brand loyalty. Case in point, those of you who have seen my pictures

That First Thing
How we start our day on the first workday of January can help dictate how our entire year shapes up. In past years I always seemed to start slow in January after

Service Standards: The Key to Branding the Experience
Early in my career, one of my first mentors and supervisors was the COO for a $1.5 billion organization in the Chicago area. He was extremely passionate about pro